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While online booking simplifies travel, accessibility issues for less tech-savvy passengers and ticket black markets persist
Published : 20 Mar 2025, 03:38 AM
The hustle and bustle at rail stations and bus terminals before Eid, with ticket sellers calling out prices and black-market sales, had long been a familiar scenario for the public.
In the past two years, this scene has changed considerably, largely due to the introduction of online ticketing.
With the arrival of e-ticketing, the days of waiting in long queues at counters for bus and train tickets before Eid are over.
Passengers can now purchase tickets from the comfort of their homes.
But there have been allegations of ticket scalping taking advantage of digital technology.
In addition, people without smartphones or limited knowledge of information technology are still unable to buy tickets online.
Passengers say if these issues are addressed, everyone would benefit from the advantages of e-ticketing.
Since 2023, the railway ticketing system in Bangladesh has been fully online.
Bangladesh Railway reports that more than 170,000 intercity train tickets are sold daily through online platforms.
However, tickets for local and mail trains are still not available online.
Online bus ticket sales began earlier, with Shohag Paribahan launching the service in 2008.
In 2014, the process expanded significantly through the platform Shohoz.com.
Other platforms such as Jatri, BUSBD, bdtickets, and Poribahan.com also sell bus tickets online.
While exact figures on daily online bus ticket sales are not available, Shohoz says it has sold over 100 million tickets since 2014.
The platform now handles 70 percent of Bangladesh Railway’s ticket sales.
Shohoz also works with more than 7,500 bus counters across 3,000 routes and collaborates with over 100 bus companies nationwide.
NO MORE CROWDS
Bangladesh Railway started selling advance tickets on Mar 14, counting on the Eid-ul-Fitr journey from Mar 24.
According to the schedule, tickets for travel on Mar 29 are being sold on Wednesday.
A few years ago, during Eid, there was no space to move at Kamalapur Railway Station when tickets were sold at the counters.
Ticket seekers would arrive the day before and stand in line.
On Wednesday morning, the station was completely empty, with no hustle or bustle.
A few passengers were buying tickets for the current journey at the counter.
Humayun Kabir, who travels to his village in Kurigram’s Rajibpur via Dewanganj during Eid, told bdnews24.com that he couldn’t purchase an advance ticket online this year, but he finds the online ticketing system convenient.
"Tickets get sold out within moments online. In the past, being the first in line at the counter would guarantee a ticket, but that required immense effort—waiting the whole day before, enduring sleepless nights, hunger, and bathroom discomfort.
“With online tickets, though there's no guarantee, the inconvenience is much less,” he added.
Station Master Md Anwar explained that e-ticketing has significantly reduced passenger hassle, benefiting both passengers and staff.
He said, “Earlier, people used to come to the station two days before ticket sales even started. Our lounge was small, and queues stretched over a kilometre. Passengers faced severe difficulties, and travel expenses increased for those coming to and from the station.
“Now, these issues are gone. We don’t face much hassle now as passengers no longer make demands for tickets,” he added.
After the start of Eid ticket sales, passengers have not been seen crowding counters at Gabtoli and Kalyanpur in the last few days.
Gabtali’s Hanif Enterprise counter, which previously saw the largest crowds during Eid, had chairs added for extra seating and a canopy to protect passengers from the sun.
On Tuesday, there was no crowd at the Hanif counter; only a few people were buying tickets for the current journey.
Nurul Islam, a sales worker, said the scenario has completely changed since online ticket sales began.
"Before, this place would be packed. Now, there's no pressure. Passengers can buy tickets online, or even directly from our counter, or other platforms," he added.
BLACK MARKET TICKET SALES: HOW TO STOP IT
In trains, a national identity (NID) card can be used to buy up to four tickets.
For bus tickets, there is no requirement to present an NID card.
A passenger can log in once and buy up to four tickets.
In this way, a person can repeatedly access the transport company's or online platform's website to purchase tickets.
This creates a greater opportunity for bus ticket black markets, according to Ariful Islam, who travels to his village, Kurigram’s Rajarhat, every Eid.
He said, "During Eid, many people need tickets at once, which is why a large portion of bus or train tickets end up in the black market. Some people keep multiple tickets and later sell them through different means.
“We don’t see any governmental action to control this issue. Tickets are sold at inflated prices.”
Shakil Jawad Rahim, director (Tickets) at Shohoz, said the tickets provided at the counter are now printed online. As a result, all the tickets are managed on the same platform.
He added, "If you click on a seat at the counter, it’s immediately reserved online. Similarly, if tickets are booked through an online platform, it’s also reserved at the counter.
“This has significantly reduced misuse. Now, there is no opportunity to hold on to tickets."
Rahim believes that, before Eid, there are more tickets available than passengers.
He said, "The number of buses has significantly increased, giving people more options. Earlier, all tickets were released on the same day, but now different transport companies release tickets at different times online. This prevents pressure from building up on a single day.
“The owners are very cautious and do not reserve any tickets. All Eid tickets are non-refundable, and even if someone buys extra tickets, selling them becomes uncertain.
“They are unwilling to take that risk. For these reasons, black-market activities have become difficult now."
Black marketeers use multiple NID cards to purchase several tickets and sell them at a higher price.
Regarding whether this issue can be controlled, Bangladesh Railway’s Director General Md Afzal Hossain says there is currently no way to control it within the railway system.
He said, "Even if someone manages to obtain ten [NID cards] and buys tickets, the system cannot stop them. However, we can check at the gates to ensure the person travelling is using the ticket bought under their ID.
“This would take more time, and many passengers might miss their trains."
He concluded, “The online ticket system has reduced the scope for fraud. Those involved in black marketing must also purchase tickets online like everyone else. They will not have an extra advantage."
